DETROIT (WWJ) – State and federal officials Monday announced a $2.1 million federal grant for a collaborative effort to create new jobs and technologies related to rapidly emerging advanced energy storage systems in Southeast Michigan.

The U.S. Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge grant was awarded to the Southeast Michigan Advanced Energy Storage Systems Initiative, a collaboration of regional partners coordinated by the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce and led by NextEnergy, the Macomb-St. Clair Workforce Development Board and the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council.

The funds will support the Michigan Academy for Green Mobility Alliance (MAGMA) for its efforts to grow the supply chain around advanced energy storage systems and to deliver engineering and technician training, and the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council for its efforts to build opportunities for minority suppliers.

The Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge is a collaborative federal funding effort led by the Economic Development Administration, Employment and Training Administration, and Small Business Administration.

Said Gov. Rick Snyder: “Our great need is a talent base that is prepared to seize the opportunities that are growing here, and this initiative will help people develop the skills needed to meet the demand in the advanced energy storage field.”

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. will award up to $500,000 in Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge funds in support of the initiative.

“Jobs and innovation partnerships accelerate business formation and expansion as well as job creation and will have a strong impact on the state’s economy,” said MEDC president and CEO Michael A. Finney. “This matching grant will leverage investment in Michigan’s advanced energy storage system cluster and help support this strategic alignment.”